Monastery Immaculate Conception (Ferdinand, Indiana)

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The Monastery Immaculate Conception, home of the Sisters of Saint Benedict, rises high above Ferdinand, perched atop a hill overlooking the Dubois County town. Architect Victor Klutho, well known for his design of religious facilities across the Midwest, planned the convent’s chapel. Work began on the massive Romanesque Revival-style building in 1915 and was completed within 14 months, but World War I delayed completion of the interior for six more years. In 2001, the sisters launched a complete restoration. The work includes gilding and decorative painting by Conrad Schmitt Studios (who did the recent restoration work at the West Baden Springs Hotel and the French Lick Springs Resort). The religious community bucks the trend of declining population thanks in part to a catchy ad campaign begun in the mid 1990s with slogans such as “You don’t have to be perfect to be a nun. God knows we’re not.”